A New Yorker, in 1931 Silvio Coucci rode Thoroughbreds at Agua Caliente racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico under contract with brothers John and George Coburn.
His performance brought him to the attention of the extremely wealthy Mrs. Payne Whitney, owner of the prominent Greentree Stable in Red Bank, New Jersey.
Coucci's career continued to flourish and in 1934 his victories included the Christmas Stakes, in California and on the East Coast, New York's Suburban Handicap.
During his career, Silvio Coucci rode for other notable owners such as Isabel Dodge Sloane, William R. Coe, Alexander Pantages and Alfred G. Vanderbilt II for whom he won the 1939 San Vicente Stakes.
On January 5, 1942 TIME magazine reported that 27-year-old Silvio Coucci died as the result of a leap or fall from a hotel window in Fayetteville, North Carolina.